Product Focus

March 24, 2020
Ribbon Cable and Accessories

R&M’s Mercury ribbon fiber platform

R&M now offers its modular Mercury splice distributor for the setup of data center networks, data center interconnect cabling, and campus backbones. After the market launch of the Mercury platform in 2018, the manufacturer reports that “it became clear that customers particularly appreciate the [system’s] clear and structured setup, as well as the convenient handling.” The chassis shown in the picture occupies two height units (U) in a 19-inch rack. The 2U housings feature a patch panel on the front that can accommodate up to 288 LC connections. A typical configuration occupies 6U and terminates 864 fibers. The cabling in the rear of the chassis is based on ribbon fiber cables. These cables make it possible to splice several fibers at the same time. R&M offers versions with 200 μm and 250 μm ribbon fiber pigtails, which are dressed out into the splice tray and 100% factory tested.

R&M, www.rdm.com

Prysmian’s versatile FlexRibbon technology

Per the manufacturer, Prysmian Group’s FlexRibbon technology “bundles the maximum number of fibers within the smallest possible cable, for maximum fiber density and optimal duct space utilization.” With fiber counts ranging from 432 to 6912 fibers, these cables offer significantly reduced cabling footprints in infrastructures such as hyperscale data centers, as well as any standard outside plant, inside plant, or indoor/outdoor application. Prysmian says its FlexRibbon technology “creates extremely flexible, 12-fiber ribbons that can be curled up for high packing densities or laid flat for easy ribbon mass fusion splicing. The FlexRibbon’s patented intermittent bonding allows ribbons to bend in three dimensions giving it a clear advantage over standard flat ribbons,” adds the company. The cables also contain buffer tubes that hold groupings of FlexRibbons, making it easier to organize, handle and install these large-count cables in any application.

Prysmian Group, prysmiangroup.com

CommScope’s Universal Splice Cabinet

Designed specifically for ribbon cable, CommScope's Universal Splice Cabinet “adds flexibility and user friendliness,” the company explains. The cabinet can mount in a 19- or 23-inch, 2- or 4-post rack, and can also be mounted on a wall. To double the density, the cabinet can also be mounted back-to-back in any frame option. The high-density enclosure allows for up to 6912 ribbon cable splices, which are easily accessible thanks to the unit’s dedicated mesh tubing for routing. The manufacturer notes that the Universal Splice Cabinet’s unique design includes more than 6 feet of stack. This space allows up to 3 splicers to be working side-by-side at the same time.

CommScope, commscope.com

AFL’s 200 µm Wrapping Tube Cable (WTC) with SpiderWeb Ribbon

AFL’s Wrapping Tube Cable (WTC) with SpiderWeb Ribbon (SWR) is an ultra-high density outside plant cable designed specifically for the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and access markets. With its ultra-high density and proprietary SWR technology that is easily ribbonized for mass fusion splicing, the WTC provides the smallest cable diameter and lowest weight available in a high-fiber count ribbon cable, AFL says. The cables are available in fiber counts of 3456 and 6912 using 200 µm fiber. With its gel-free construction for easy-to-access and identify optical fiber circuits, the WTC’s significantly higher fiber density, compared to traditional ribbon cables, offers the ability to expand the capacity of existing pathways and allows for use of smaller, lower-cost duct systems. The compact ribbon bundles also reduce enclosure/splice tray size requirements.

AFL, aflglobal.com

Corning’s RocketRibbon extreme-density cable

Corning’s RocketRibbon extreme-density cable, which it describes as the next-generation ribbon cable, provides a 3456-fiber capacity—twice the fiber count in approximately the same footprint as existing central tube and stranded ribbon tube design cables. By leveraging Corning’s optical fiber cable design expertise, RocketRibbon cable allows operators to quickly install more capacity in the same duct space, to accommodate increasing bandwidth demand. Corning says RocketRibbon enables up to 30% faster installation than other high-density ribbon cables designed for data center and carrier environments. In addition to improved fiber density, a unique ribbon subunit design makes the fibers within RocketRibbon cable easy to manage, identify, and trace, Corning concludes.

Corning, corning.com/rocketribbon

OFS’s rollable ribbon cables

Specifically developed to offer the highest density possible relative to cable size, the AccuFlex Rollable Ribbon Cable and AccuRiser Rollable Ribbon Cable offer the benefits of both flat fiber ribbons and loose fibers in one cable. The resulting cables require less space, allowing installers to double the density of existing pathways when compared to standard indoor cable designs. This capability is fueled by incorporating rollable ribbons, each of which consists of 12 optical fibers partially bonded together at selected points. The AccuTube+ cable family includes cables with 432, 476, and 864 rollable ribbon fibers. The line also features cables with 1728 fibers in single-jacket and light-armor construction, as well as with 3456 fibers in single-jacket construction. These rollable ribbon cables feature gel-free buffer tubes in a standard loose-tube construction and exhibit superior coiling and handling, OFS says.

OFS, ofsoptics.com

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